Lightning and Slime, Apathetic and Exhausted
by Your Intelligence
Summary: A hunter and his zinogre, a hunter and his brachydios. Both have their dreams and aspirations, yet there's certainly a way to go about them correctly.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Monster Hunter or any other of Capcom's intellectual property.**

Chapter One: A Whine in a Cave

It was one of the most blazing hot days in recorded history in the Northern El De region, which was really saying something for an area that was blanketed by active volcanoes. While it was one of the most popular mining spots in the world due to the rare ores dislodged by constant eruptions, it's also one of the most unstable regions in the world. However, one thing that was always prevalent was the sweltering heat. Natives to the area eventually grew used to the warmth, but days like this could even get an Agnaktor overheated.

It was on this day that a young boy named Ven Kelter stared out a window that gave him a great view of a distant mountain range where a few of the peaks emanated a thick, pungent black smoke that slightly masked the scent of sizzling bullfango. He had just turned twelve two months ago (something he was very proud of), though his height gave off the impression of an eleven or ten year old. Rivulets of sweat ran down from his short black hair and down his bronzed skin. Due to the intense weather, he wore a simple red shirt and tan shorts in order to let as much warmth escape his body as possible. Despite having lived his whole life in the El De region, Ven was desperately fanning himself with a piece of paper in an attempt to stave off the heat wave, the profuse sweat dripping off his body doing little to help alleviate the sweltering warmth. While Ven's hands were occupied with flailing the sheet of paper, his chocolate eyes were busy scanning the rust colored countryside that was bathed in an amber light by the cloud-filtered sun.

Ven's house was a simple house with a living room, a kitchen, two bathrooms, and two bedrooms. It was primarily made out of metal to protect from quakes or extreme heat, so there wasn't much in the way of comfort besides a few kelbi fur rugs. Yet, this house couldn't contain the wanderlust that plagued the boy. His mind planned paths over the rocks, across the wide crevices, around pools of boiling water, and off into the horizon. Ven's heart raced coming up with the endless possibilities that the fiery countryside most certainly held. Before long, he could take no more of passive gazing. In a burst of speed Ven dashed out of his room and down the stairs, each footfall landing with a loud clank against the metal floor. He sped over to the door and was about to fling it open when a sharp tug on the collar of his shirt yanked him away from the entrance. Ven looked up to see who had stopped his mad dash to the outdoors and was greeted by the frowning face of his mother Meredith. "And where do you think you're goin' mister?" The disconcerting tone in her voice caused Ven to aimlessly grind his foot into the metal floor. Ven's mother was a tiny, mousy lady who usually held a smile for everyone, yet she held a vendetta against anyone who tried to skip out on dinner, as evidenced by the ticked off appearance she currently wore on her face. She was wearing a loose summer dress to stave off the heat that showed off an ample amount of bronze skin, with her black hair tied back into a bun.

Quickly coming up with a lie Ven turned to face his mother fully but still looking down at the ground. "I was goin' t' go outside an' take a walk Mom." Ven's mother scoffed at this. "Where, at th' burnin' range? We both know you were going to roam outdoors." Placing herself between Ven and the door as a sort of blockade, she lowered herself down to Ven's level. "Dinner's almost ready sugar, just hang on for a few more minutes and then after dinner you can play outside." Ven's mother turned her head in the direction of a spiraling hole in the ground where pulleys and lifts dragged ore up from the ground. "Your father'll be home soon, I'm sure he'd love to see you after a hard day's work." Ven started to poorly sneak his hand towards the door, only to be caught by his mother. "Ven you can't go outside yet, and that's final. Now go to your room and read a book." Ven tried to put on a pouty face which was met with his mother's own stern look. "Don't try that with me mister. C'mon, upstairs." Ven was swiftly picked up and fireman carried up to his room despite all his kicking and struggling.

Upon reaching Ven's room, his mother set him down inside, pointed out a few books he could read from his bookshelf, and closed the door. Ven climbed atop his bed underneath his window, sulking in the shadow of the frame. "Why can't dinner come fast enough..." Ven continued on like that for a while, before picking out a book on various aquatic monsters. "I wasn't even gonna go outside for that long anyways…" As Ven scanned through the pages his mind drifted back to the mountains until he eventually drifted off to sleep.

=]o|o[=

A voice coming from downstairs roused Ven from his slumber, only for him to awaken to the roaring image of a Plesioth staring straight into his face. The boy yelped and swatted at his face in an attempt to fight off the monster, sending the book skittering across the floor and winning a triumphant victory over page sixty seven of _The Denizens of the Deep_. "Ven it's dinnertime, c'mon downstairs!" the voice of his mom beckoned from downstairs. Ven's mind took a second to recalibrate itself from drowsiness before the intoxicating scent of hot bullfango meat reached his nose. Ven took a long breath to try and draw as much of the amazing aroma as possible through his nose before he left his room and made his way down into the kitchen, glancing idly at the twinkling stars outside as he passed a window.

The table was already set, three sets of discolored silverware, cups, and slightly chipped plates were placed equally around the circumference of the table. Ven sat down at one of the wooden chairs as his mother busied herself with adding the finishing touches on the meal, metal cooking tools clattering against the pots and pans. "Dad still isn't home yet?" Ven asked, scanning the room for a sign of his father. The clattering of tools paused for a moment. "He hasn't sent anythin', so I assume he's overworkin' himself again."

"Are we goin' t' wait for 'im t' get back?" The clattering of kitchenware resumed at a slower pace. "Yes we are. Don't worry about th' food getting cold, a boulder of ice would melt in seconds with this weather." Meredith added the last few touches, placing her tools down sitting at the second chair. It was about twenty more minutes before the telltale noise of house's door scraping against the kelbi fur rug signaled the arrival of Ven's father.

Holz was a massive man, well built at a towering six foot ten, the man loomed over everyone else in the village, which led to his intimidating presence. With a deep bronze complexion with ebony hair to match, Holz was a task-focused man by nature and prefered not to mince words when his actions could explain everything he needed to say. Meredith shot up from her seat and ran over to the door. "Holz, where were you? I was beginnin' to think there was another accident at th' mines!" Holz kicked off his boots and lumbered over to the dinner table, sitting down at his seat with an audible thud. "Thanks fer worryin'." With the whole family assembled Meredith was finally able to serve the food she'd been preparing since late afternoon: a simple platter of seared bullfango steak with a mixture of different beans on the side and topped of with a glass of milk.

The whole family eagerly dug into the meal with gusto, save for the untouched pile of beans on Ven's plate that he was avoiding like the plague. Ven's mother looked up from her food. "So, Holz." Holz grunted in response, too busy slicing off a strip of meat to talk. "Why were you workin' so late? Did a drill malfunction again?" Holz barely tilted his head upwards "Nah, nothin' like that." Ven's father resumed slicing into his steak, leaving the other two family members on the edge of their seats and staring at him in expectancy. Noticing the lack of noise from his family, Holz looked up from his handiwork. "What?" Ven practically jumped out of his seat, eyes wide with curiosity. "Go on dad, why'd ya stay so long?" Holz rested his silverware down and tilted forward. "'Parently som' hunter was fightin' one of them stygian zinogres." The mention of one of the most fearsome monsters in the El De Region earned a gasp from Ven. The stygian zinogre was a massive problem in volcanic regions, due to its fiercely aggressive and territorial nature and the abundance of dracophage bugs that thrived in the extreme heat, leading the beast to be considered a symbol of misfortune and superstition, particularly among the more respected people in the village. No doubt the heat wave was the reason the stygian zinogre had shown up now; the warmth was most likely exciting the dracophage bugs, making the grey beast more aggressive. Holz made a lowering motion with his hand, continuing when Ven had dropped back down into his chair.

"Wounded it pretty badly, but the beast managed to get away. They like t' hide 'n' caves when they're hurt, so we had to lock up th' mines nice 'n' good." While Ven had a starry look in his eyes from his father's less than eloquent story, his mother was visibly a lot stiffer. "Does that mean it's still roamin' around somewhere?" Meredith inquired. Holz simply nodded his head and went back to eating his steak along with Ven who was tearing into the meat with renewed vigor. A loud laugh escaped Meredith as she watched her son wolf down the food like a starved deviljho. "Slow down there Ven, you're gonna choke if you keep going at that speed." A little giggle escaped Ven as he made an attempt to take his time with his food.

The rest of the dinner was fairly standard the rest of the way through. Ven repeated what he read about the lagiacrus, Meredith explained the latest gossip, and Holz simply listened, figuring that rocks and ore wasn't the most interesting conversation topic. Afterwards the Meredith cleaned up the dishes and Ven excused himself to his room taking his backpack with him. On his way up he'd grabbed a few strips of rhenoplos jerky and a container of lukewarm water. Once in his room Ven grabbed a map of the area he'd made himself, an oil lantern that'd been glued shut by his mother to prevent burns, and finally a wooden sword his father made him as a birthday present. Suddenly, a knock sounded from Ven's door as he was going through his supplies. "Come in!" Meredith opened the door, only for her eyes to be immediately drawn to her son's makeshift survival kit. "Whatcha got there Ven?" she asked, motioning towards the haphazard spread of food and tools atop his rug. "I'm gonna go explore!" Ven yelled, confidence and childish joy radiating from his voice. If only the sound of his youthful vigor hadn't caused Meredith's heart to sink.

"Oh sugar… I don't know about that. I think it's safer to stay inside for today." If emotions had a solid form, broken shards of joy would be laying all around Ven. "B-but mom, ya said I could go out after dinner!" Meredith sighed, crouching down to meet Ven on the ground. "I know I did sugar, an' you know I hate t' go back on my word. But it's just too dangerous tonight." Stammering, Ven tried to find a way to convince his mom to let him out. "Mom, I've been out at night before, I know how far I can go outside th' town." Ven reasoned, sorrow painted on his face like a mural. "I trust you about that, but…" Meredith stared at the wall, seemingly staring through it. "With that zinogre prowling around somewhere out there, I'm just worried something will happen to you is all." Ven opened his mouth to provide a counter argument, but was shushed by his mother. "I'm sorry, but you have to stay inside tonight. That's final." Meredith stood up and made her way to the door. "Mom, I-" "Goodnight Ven." And with that final denial, Meredith closed the door, leaving Ven alone in his room amongst the supplies for a forbidden adventure.

Ven sat like that for a while, until he stood up and began rapidly pacing around his room. "Stupid mom, stupid zinogre, stupid stupid stupid…" Ven mumbled as he made rapid laps around the room, until the wooden sword caught his eye. "I'll show her..." Ven scooped up the sword and began packing supplies into his backpack. "I'll bring back something awesome, show her that a zinogre won't stop me…" He stuffed the last of his jerky into the bag and stood outside his door, pressing his ear to its hard metal surface and listening for activity. "...told Ven he couldn't go out tonight. I hope I didn't make him too upset." The muffled sound of liquid pouring sounded from the direction of the dining room. "You did th' right thing. He doesn't know what those things can do, 'specially hurt ones." Ven backed away from the door. _Front door's no good._ Ven scanned his room, looking for an exit; then he spied his window. _There. I'll lower myself out, then once I've gotten something awesome I'll just walk back in through the front door like th' most famous guy around._ Ven barely suppressed a giggle.

Ven ran over to his window and quietly opened it. Leaning out, Ven tried to get a rough estimate of the distance. _It's a bit of a drop, but I shouldn't get hurt if I lower myself out._ Ven first placed lifted his legs out, then turned around and grabbed ahold of the wooden edge with a tight grip. Ven slowly lowered himself through the window until he felt complete confidence in the drop he was about to make. And drop he did. There was a solitary, terrifying moment of weightlessness before the ground made its presence known in the form of a sharp shock to the entirety of Ven's legs.

Ven stifled a cry of pain as he ran his hands over his legs in an attempt to dull the pain. Nothing seemed broken but it certainly hurt like the dickens. After a few minutes of sitting still the pain in his legs subsided enough for him to stand and begin walking towards the edge of the village.

While the village of Dephe was by no means inviting by day, it certainly took on a much more sinister feel during the dark of night. The most prominent feature of the village was the town hall, which sported a rather exuberant tower that constantly spouted fire from the top, supposedly as a sign of strength and stability. It certainly didn't attract any tourists, but it did serve as a beacon for travelers, causing the odd vagrant to come and go every so often. The rusty walls encircling Dephe, the high guard towers that supported watchmen that kept a constant lookout over the entrance, the glow of the lanterns reflected against the metal houses: they all become much more foreboding under the light of the moon that was nearly choked out by the dense layer of smoke and soot in the sky.

Ven stalked his way through the darkness of his town for about six minutes until he reached a thin sheet of metal which Ven pushed aside to reveal a hole in the metal fence. The hole had been bent and torn away by human hands, clearly by someone to curious for their own good. Ven couched down enough to pass through the rift, barely squeezing through it. _Yeesh, I need t' rip that up some more._ Ven took a parting glance at the watchtowers where he could barely make out the outlines of the guards through the veil of night. _It's been awhile since I've had t' sneak out. Good thing that nobody bothers to check this area._

Ven climbed to his feet and stared out at the volcanic countryside. While the fence didn't reach up too high, it still stood out as an ugly splotch against the rusty landscape. Once you were beyond the barrier it was like an discolored spot on a pristine shirt that had just been washed out. While taking in the countryside Ven ran over his plan again. _Okay, so one of th' caves mus' have something worth nabbing. I'll just run in, grab it, run back out._ As his eyes scanned the dark landscape he noticed how many caves marked the ground. _Only problem bein' that everyone has grabbed anything worth grabbing in these caves._ Idly tugging on the hem of his shirt, a flash of inspiration struck Ven. _I'll just go t' one of the caves in the dry forest! Nobody ever goes there._ With a renewed spring in his step Ven set course towards the mess of grey branches in the distance.

The dry forest got its name from the skeletal, thorny trees that spread out for about a mile or so. Each tree suffered from a severe lack of moisture due to the intense heat of El De, yet still managed to grow a little bit each year; a testament to the hardy nature of the life living in this land of smoke and fire. While still an unnerving sight during the day, nightfall made it all the worse. The spindly branches took on the guise of wraith-like hands in the darkness that could only be banished by the light of Ven's lantern. The branches were as sharp as a razor, something that Ven was extremely careful of as he made his way through the trees. If your clothes got snagged it was important not to panic and flail around, as that was a great way to lose half a pint of blood.

Taking a look around, a sigh blew from Ven's mouth. _No good, I can't see anything through this mess, especially not at night._ Ven continued through the brambles, thinking about future riches as he went. _Maybe I'll find a hunk of useful ore! Or maybe I'll find an ancient sword! I could even find a-_ Ven's train of thought was cut short as the ground simply didn't exist for a minute. Ven's mind had just enough time to process he was falling before he began tumbling downwards in a mess of limbs. Ven barely made out the sound of glass shattering as he fell, until he finally skidded to a stop on solid ground.

Ven rolled onto his back and simply stared at the black void above him and he mumbled curse words (seemed like an appropriate time to do so). His body felt sore all over and his left ring finger was slightly numb, but nothing felt broken. Turning his head to the side towards the glow of his lantern, he noticed that the glass covering had shattered at the top, leaving jagged glass edges around the rim and handle and shards haphazardly scattered over the ground. "Ow ow ow ow…" Ven mumbled, rolling onto his stomach and lifting himself up onto a sitting position so he could get a better view of his situation.

The interior of the cave was nothing spectacular. It looked to be a burrow of some sort, judging by the faint claw marks and haphazard indents where scoops of earth were dug out, as well as a few brown spots of something Ven couldn't identify. Whatever had created this was long gone by now, if the moss on the floor around the faint glow of the lantern was any indication. There was more than enough space for Ven to stand up in, which allowed him to look up and see what had introduced him to the worst fall of his life: a steep shaft led back to the surface, the interior of which was covered with rocks or other jagged features. Making sure not to put too much stress on his limbs, Ven limped towards that shaft and placed a hand on one of the rocks and started to push and pull on it. However, no matter how much force he used (which, granted, wasn't a lot due to the pain on his arms), the rock refused to budge. _Good,_ thought Ven staring at the near-vertical shaft, _I'm gonna need to climb outta here._ Turning around and grabbing the handle of his broken lantern, Ven started to make his way into the depths of the cave.

The hole seemed to act as a natural echochamber, if the sound reverberating from Ven's footsteps was any indication. The same greyish dirt made up the entirety of the walls, the only differences being the occasional root or igneous rock and the occasional brownish stain that seemed to increase in frequency the farther Ven went. This wasn't helped by the very spacious interior of the cave that only served to make everything seem more monotonous. After walking through the tunnel for about three minutes, Ven's legs were already sending screams of protest through his body. "Why's this cave so freakin' long?" Ven muttered to himself. As soon as he said that, a high pitched whine echoed along the cave's walls. Jumping, Ven hunkered down, staring into the blackness in front of him and blindly fumbling for his sword. "What was tha-" Ven was cut off by another whine sounding from the tunnel. "Is it-" Another cry echoed along as Ven finally connected the dots and clamped his hand over his mouth. _It's callin' for help!_

With renewed vigor, Ven drew the wooden imitation from his pack and picked up the pace, speeding through the tunnel while periodically calling out and listening to the replying whine, the noise growing louder as Ven went. _Whatever it is it mus' be pretty young._ Ven pondered. _Rhenoplos don't dig holes this deep, an' I don't think there are any other animals around who do._ Ven took another cursory look around the interior, only to notice another stain, this one much larger than the others he'd seen. _What's with all these stains?_ Crouching down and setting his lantern and sword a good distance away from himself, Ven dug his fingers into the center of the stain. Wiggling his fingers around Ven noticed it felt like moving your fingers around in wet sand. Ven pulled his fingers out, only to notice the moist feeling remained attached to his digits. Ven rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, the odd feeling of slick smoothness only serving to accentuate the feeling of curiosity. Ven leaned over and grabbed his lantern and brought the field of light over his hand.

Every single one of his fingers was coated with viscous reddish-brown blood.

A high pitched gasp escaped Ven's mouth as he processed what he was seeing. Ven began to frantically wipe his hand on his pant leg, but that only served to spread the blood over the rest of his hand and onto his pants. There was no mistaking the fluid for anything else; only blood changed colors like that. "Damn it…" mumbled Ven under his breath, deciding this was an appropriate occasion for swearing. He'd have to wash his hand off when he got home after he explained why his hand was absolutely covered in some unknown creature's blood.

Holding his bloody hand as far away from his clothes as he could, Ven scooped up his lantern and sword again, holding both in one hand as not to dirty his precious weapon. He walked for about five more minutes until the light from the lantern revealed an opening in the tunnel. _So much for this bein' endless._ The opening wasn't much larger than the entrance, yet it was still sizable in its own right. As Ven stepped into the opening he turned up the intensity of the lamp, only to freeze solid. The bloodstains had been growing in frequency and vibrancy as Ven had reached here, but the room's floor was absolutely covered in damp sticky blood. However, the gruesome floor wasn't what stopped Ven in his tracks; it was the source.

A gigantic stygian zinogre lay in the center of the room, bleeding from a massive gash along its flank.

Only a portion of its side and the head was visible from the glow of the lantern, but that was enough to show the black and grey coloring so integral to the subspecies. Stumbling back with a high-pitched scream Ven immediately shielded himself from the claws inevitably coming to shred his body. Only… they never came. Peaking out from between his arms Ven saw that the zinogre hadn't moved at all while Ven was cowering. Gently relaxing his arms Ven inched closer a few feet. Nothing. _A few more inches wouldn't hurt, right?_ Nothing. Finally, Ven reached out his sword towards the bloody fur of the zinogre and quickly jabbed it in the side before retreating to a distance. Nothing, no sign of life whatsoever. "I-is it dead?" he whispered. That same whine pierced the air again, the shrill cry leaving a slight ringing in Ven's ears.

 _If this isn't what's cryin'..._ A chill ran down Ven's spine as he briefly considered the possibilities of the zinogre's ghost haunting the cave. Stepping a few feet back from the corpse, Ven started circling around the body while searching for the source of the mysterious whine. It was strange seeing such a mighty beast simply dead. The spikes and racks of bone seemed much less impressive, the horns and claws less fearsome. Ven's eyes scanned over the body. Nothing. _Did I miss somethin'?_ Another circle, this time looking closer. Still nothi- there, that spot. Just barely visibly was a small patch of pure white fur. Ven leaned over, inspecting the odd discoloration. Then he noticed the eyes.

Two tiny, glistening crimson eyes peered from the patch of white fur. Inching back a little in apprehension, Ven took a better look. It wasn't a patch of fur at all, now that he looked closer. The tiny creature was simply camouflaging themselves with the zinogre's fur, using their similar coat color. _Th' only thing that was white fur around here are styg-_ Sudden realization flashed over Ven as the events clicked together in his head. _Of course… th' stygian must've been attacking things 'cause she was protectin' her pup. Someone felt it was gonna hurt someone and put out a huntin' order on it. Th' hunter wounded it an' it escaped. She looked for a cave to heal in, but th' wounds were too bad…_ Ven stared at the stygian zinogre puppy, sadness written across his face in bold lettering. _An' that brings us t' th' present._

Ven crouched down level to the spot where the puppy was nestled into their mother's fur. It couldn't have been more than five weeks old, judging from the tiny nubs on their head, along with the grey coloring that was beginning to seep into their fur. The spikes on their back and limbs hadn't grown in yet, however it was sporting an impressive set of claws. It was about an arm's length long and standing at about a foot high. Finally the plating around their jaw still looked far from hard. Vibration rippled along their mother's fur, due to the puppy's quivering form.

 _I'm sorry lil' guy… this must… it's gotta…_ Ven slowly reached a hand out towards the puppy until his fingers made contact with the very tip of its head. The puppy shrank a little at his touch but didn't try to run away or hide. _Yer really all alone… No mom, no friends…_ The feeling of the shivering animal below Ven's fingers, this feeling of utter helplessness, was finally the thing that drove Ven's heart over the cliff it had been teetering on since he first saw the tiny zinogre.

A long salty streak slid down Ven's cheek as his emotions collapsed on him all at once. Ven reached his other hand out towards the puppy and began petting and stroking it in an effort to calm both him and the scared creature down. Shifting his hands from petting, Ven slowly worked his hands between the puppy and their deceased mother, before slowly bringing it towards his chest; the puppy offered no resistance. It was still shaking, but it seemed noticeably calmer than it had been before. Ven folded his legs down and the two simply sat there, getting a feel for each other.

The two sat like that for a bit until a rumble from Ven's abdomen ruining the touching moment. Ven placed the puppy in the centre of his lap, running the other through his hair with a tiny smile gracing his previously tightened lips. "Oops, sorry lil' guy. Been awhile since dinner 'n' all." Ven took off the heavy backpack and placed it on the ground. Luckily, Ven had placed all the rhenoplos jerky near the top. Taking out a strip and tearing a piece off with his teeth, a cold, wet sensation rocketed along the bottom of his palm.

Flinching at the sensation, Ven saw that the puppy was sniffing his hand, specifically the parts that had touched the jerky. The puppy turned and clambered out of Ven's lap, following the invisible scent trail that led it to Ven's backpack. Upon reaching it the pup stuck their head inside, only to reemerge with a strip of jerky. _Ya lil'..._ The zinogre, with their head held high, trotted back over to Ven, climbed back into his lap and started chewing on the jerky.

Looking down at the puppy chewing on the jerky, Ven should've been mad that some of his food has been stolen. He should've been mad that the the blood he'd gotten on his hands and pants would leave a lasting stain. There were plenty of things to be mad at, yet any annoyance or anger seemed to melt away when he gazed at the small animal that sat in his lap gnawing on their food. "You've really taken a shine t' me haven'tcha?" The puppy's ears perked up at the sound of Ven's voice but remained otherwise focused on the jerky. "I wonder why. I only found ya not too long ago. Maybe ya just feel like I can protect ya, I can see that." Ven's hand drifted down and began petting the puppy again, their rough fur shifting underneath Ven's hand.

While Ven pet the zinogre he glanced up at the corpse of their mother. _They need someone t' take care of 'em._ The puppy had finished chewing their jerky and was now resting comfortably in Ven's lap, curled up into a little ball. _I could handle it, they've already grown attached 'n' all._ Stretching a finger down, Ven absentmindedly scratched behind the pup's ears. "Yer gonna need a name lil' guy." Ven prodded slightly at the puppy's side, causing it to roll over onto their back and exposing their underside. "Ah, yer a girl zinogre." Names swirled around in Ven's head, each vying to be picked for the zinogre's title. Finally, Ven reached into the cloud of words and plucked one from the miasma. "Castor, that'll be yer name." Ven looked down at Castor, expecting some great reaction, yet all he got was a slight tail twitch and a yawn. _Well fine, ignore my amazin' powers of naming._

As Ven patted himself on the back for giving such a fantastic name, he realized just how long he'd been gone. Quickly scooping up an obviously confused Castor he began to run back to the tunnel's entrance. _Shoot, I didn't realize how long I'd been gone. Mom's gonna kill me when I get back._ Ven made it to about the halfway point in the tunnel when Castor started struggling. "What is it girl?" Castor was squirming around in seeming discomfort, prompting Ven to release his tight hold a little. As soon as Ven loosened his grip, Castor quickly started clumsily climbing up his chest. "Wha-" Ven barely had time to utter a single word before Castor had climbed onto his shoulders, then hooking her claws into the back of his shirt and shoulders while dislodging his bag, hanging off his back. The added weight caused Ven to stumble a little, but he quickly recalibrated his sense of balance. _This must be how the moms carry their pups. Makes sense._ Castor's claws were digging into his shoulders, but it simply felt uncomfortable, nothing more. _But boy is she heavy for somethin' of 'er size._ Ven picked his backpack off of the ground and let it simply hang from his hand.

Ven eventually reached the end of the tunnel and once more faced the vent leading back up to the surface. Ven slung his backpack on his left shoulder and away from Castor and placed a hand on the rock he'd tested earlier. Ven began his ascent up the shaft that had led him to finding his treasure and now would serve as his way out. The rocks were holding very nicely, staying set even with the added weight of Ven and his charge. As Ven climbed over the lip of the hole it immediately became apparent to Ven how long he'd been gone. He'd only intended to leave for a little over a hour, but due to the situation with the zinogre Ven had ran much later than he wanted. "Hoo boy, am I gonna get it." A little bark came from Ven's back. Ven tried to turn his head towards the puppy, but only succeeded in straining his neck. "Why do you talk back t' me?" Another yip. "Well, doesn't matter I guess. 'S kinda cute actually."

Ven briefly considered sprinting back home, but decided against it, as it might dislodge the puppy. Bringing out his broken lantern Ven turned the knob on the side, igniting a glowing halo of orange light around him. Ven picked out the tiny lights of Dephe in the distance and began his trek back home, the weight of Castor jostling around on his back assuring him of the fact he'd found one of the best treasures he could've possibly hoped for.

=]o|o[=

After about a thirty minute walk Ven found himself about sixty paces from the hole in the fence he'd used previously. Getting back in would be easy; the hard part would be making sure no guardsmen saw Castor. Ven crawled through hole and back into the village, trying to stay out of the sightlines of any would-be observers. Taking a quick look around, Ven spied his house in the distance and began the trek back.

As much as he didn't want to admit it, Castor's claws were really digging into his shoulders. Ven adjusted his balance a bit to try and alleviate some of the weight, but to no avail. "C'mon girl, you're really aching my back." Ven whispered. Castor barked in response, the cry echoing through the deathly quiet village. A shock ran down Ven's back as he ducked behind a barrel. "Not now girl, we gotta be quiet!" Ven hissed. Castor barked again, another cry piercing the silent veil. _Right, she talks when I talk._ Already Ven could hear the shouts of guardsmen, see the glow of lanterns closing in on his position, and could feel the heavy footfalls made even heavier by weighty iron armor.

Peering out from behind the barrel, Ven could make out a guard walking towards him. Ven turned around and snuck over to another hiding spot near a house, only to hear the footsteps of a guard near his position. _Shoot, they're swarming like flies._ Ven briefly leaned around a corner, spotting two guards blocking the quickest way towards his house. Chewing on his finger Ven snaked behind another house, attempting to make a roundabout circle towards his house. One house, then another, then the next one, occasionally checking for the odd guard or lantern light in between. As Ven ducked into the shadow of another house, a couple of thoughts ran through his head. _One, how're my parents gonna react t' this? Two, if Castor isn't run off how'll I feed an' care for 'er?_ Ven shook his head out, clearing away the white noise. _Let's just take this one thing at a time._ Ven began moving out from his hiding spot, next shadow in the centre of his vision…

Only for his foot to collide with a steel barrel, sending the cylinder clattering to the ground. Ven winced as the cacophonous echo reverberated through the village. Immediately the voices of guards began sounding out, the heavy footfalls of wrought iron boots growing louder at a frightening rate. "Aw hell…" Ven cursed under his breath. The guardsmen would be on him in seconds, no doubt about that. Right now it was simply a matter of finding an adequate hiding spot before he was found out.

Head swiveling, Ven spied a spot of thorny brush in the shadow of a house. Ven peered behind him to make sure he wasn't spotted and launched from his hiding spot and into something hard and solid. Ven bounced off the mysterious object onto the ground. "Gah… wh-" Ven's grumbling was cut short by a hand grabbing at his shirt. Ven finally got a good look at the obstacle, only for his heart to skip a beat when he realized he'd crashed into the shin guard of one of the night watchmen.

"What're y' doin' out 'ere boy!?" the guard spat into Ven's face. Wincing at the guard's rancid breath, Ven collected his response. "I was goin' t' th' toilet sir. Th' one in my house is broken."

"Whad'ya mean it's bro-" The guard cut his sentence short, his eyes slowly widening. "Sir? What's wrong?" Ven's response fell upon deaf ears. "Turn around boy." The guard spoke, his voice thick with malice. _Dangit, he must've seen Castor's claws._ "Why do I have to sir?" A strong hand wrapped itself around Ven's shoulder. "I said, turn around!" The guard yanked Ven's shoulder forward, his back following suit. All was silent as the guard saw Castor in full view.

It was eerily quiet as the guard contemplated what he was looking at while Ven's mind scrambled for escape plans. "You lil' shit… you brought one of _them_ home!?" The silence shattered from the guard's roar of hate, causing a loud whine from Castor. "Sir, I had to take her! Her mom was dead an'-" Ven's words were scattered to the wind as palm met face. "Shut it boy! Yer in real big trouble." The guardsman seized Ven's arm, roughly pulling him in the direction of the city hall and its firetower, the passionate flame turned sinister in the night. "Sir please listen to me!" Another clap of colliding skin. "I said shut it!"

By now the whole village had heard the commotion; lights flickered to life as people left their houses to investigate. Gasps and murmurs filled the air as people saw Ven's charge, now in plain view and fidgeting nervously. "Yer a bone head, y'know. When mayor Jestol sees what you've done yer gonna wish you'd've just stayed in bed." Ven wasn't in any place to disagree with the guard at the moment, if the hubbub caused by only one stygian was anything to go by.

As the guard and Ven reached the courtyard of the city hall was already packed with villagers, along with the slim silhouette of Jestol, the mayor of Dephe. The skeleton of a man drearily rubbed his eyes as he attempted to calm the surrounding crowd. "Everyone, please! Th' guards have been told to notify me first if something important has happened, so all we can do right now is wait for their report." Jestol wheezed in a dry rasp. As the mayor's eyes darted around the various townsfolk he spied a parting in the sea of people, headed by the steel helmet of one of the guards and the gasps that followed.

"Guard! What's the problem, th' whole town's riled up more than a raging rhenoplos!" The guard finally broke through the mob of townsfolk, throwing Ven and Castor to the ground in front of the mayor. "This little rat's the problem! Lookit what th' shit's brought with him!" The mayor's sunken eyes recognized the mass of grey fur in an instant.

"You… you actually brought one of those cursed creatures into our walls!?" roared Jestol, his raspy voice carrying throughout the village. Ven stumbled to his feet, Castor cowering behind his shins. "You don't understand! I found her in a cave and she got attached to me an'-"

"You bonded with that filthy creature!?" Jestol held his hand to his face in sheer disbelief. "Whenever those… _things_ rear their ugly heads, misfortune follows in their wake. We can't have that thing…" Jestol's gaze bored a hole through Ven's head. "...Or anyone that's been tainted by it in the village." Three guardsmen strode down from Jestol's side; two grabbed ahold of Ven's shoulders and one seized Castor by the scruff. "Kill this abomination and throw the boy out the gate." Ven frantically kicked and struggled, but his attempts to break the grasp of the guards was met only with a tighter hold. As the guards holding Ven began to march towards the gate, Ven could only watch as Castor was carried towards Jestol. _I gotta save her they'll kill her I have to do something-_

"Outta the way!" The guard's voice broke Ven's train of thought. "No." said a gruff voice, a very recognizable one at that. "Move or I'll-" A extremely loud clang resonated through the air, followed by the thud of one of the guards hitting the ground. While Ven was unable to look behind him, the sound of his father's voice was unmistakable to him. "Hands. Off. My. Son." Holz growled, fiery strength burning in his eyes. The other guard considered his options, eyed the heavy metal pipe gripped in Holz' left hand, and promptly released his grip on Ven's shoulder.

Ven dropped down, holding his shoulder tightly and gazing up at Holz. "Dad! I was so scared!" Holz held a finger down in a shushing motion. "We're going to have a very long talk later." With that, Holz stomped towards Jestol, leaving Ven on the ground. "Ven, what in th' name of all that is holy did you do!?" Meredith ran towards Ven, dropping down to his height.

"You're in big trouble Ven. I told you that you weren't to go out-" Meredith was cut off by Ven running past her and towards the grey ball of fur in the distance. "Get back here mister!" she called to Ven, but her voice was drowned out by the whirlwind in Ven's mind. The guard holding Castor slowly drew his dagger from its sheath, raising it to Castor's neck. Just as he was about to end the puppy's short life, Ven tackled the guard with all his might, causing him to drop Castor in shock. Ven scooped up the puppy and promptly dashed off towards the gate, only to be stopped by a mighty hand grabbing his arm.

"Stay." Holz ordered, Ven following suit and plopping down and placing Castor in his lap. The giant of a man locked eyes with Jestol, his back to the crowd of townsfolk behind him. "Tell me why I shouldn't cave your face in for touching my son." Holz rumbled unblinking. "I am your mayor! You will speak to me with respect!" Jestol wheezed. Holz' grip on his pipe shook. "Tell me why I shouldn't cave your face in for touching my son, _mayor._ "

Jestol's eyebrow twitched, eyes darting between the pipe and Holz. "That rat brought a stygian zinogre into our walls and bonded with it! He's already tainted from its corruption!" Holz' brow furrowed, taking a quick glance back at Ven and Castor. "That's no ground to kick 'im out. Ven'll release the creature and you'll apologize for roughing 'im up." Ven began to object, only to be shushed once again. Jestol took a step forward, an act that showed how far Holz towered over the diminutive man. "Th' boy has bonded with the abomination! It'll no sooner leave him than this village'll be flooded!"

"My son will not leave."

"My guards will-"

"Your guards are weak. If a boy can simply tackle one, then how'll they do against someone with more time under his belt?" Holz beat the pipe against his right hand. Murmurs broke out among the guards, each one looking more intimidated my the second. "He's the guy who killed that Brachydios!" "Have you seen his charge blade? How can anyone carry that!?"

Jestol swallowed; while his stance said that he wasn't afraid, his trembling hands and rapid breathing begged to differ. "The boy is leaving. You'll only put a bounty on your head by attacking the guards." Holz held his pipe still. "...I suppose you're right." Holz spun around, walking back towards Ven and Meredith, who'd sat herself next to Ven. "Pack your things." Meredith shot up, disbelief painted across her face. "What'dya mean 'pack our things'!?" Holz glanced back at Jestol. "If our leader is scared enough to kick out a kid just because he's got a puppy with a bad history, he doesn't deserve to lead."

Meredith stood shocked still. "We're just leavin' then? Where'll we go!?" Holz began striding towards his house. "My brother's got an estate in Riveru. He's been badgerin' me to live there for a while now, figure I'll take 'im up on th' offer." As Holz began to fade in the dark, Meredith chased after him, protesting all the way.

Ven stood up, Castor scrambling back onto his back. "Riveru, huh? There's an ocean there. Maybe I'll get to see the monsters from my book!" Castor let out an excited sounding yip. Holz could already be seen unloading any important things from their previous house while Meredith frantically prepared a wagon. Ven pulled Castor off his back, holding her in front of him. "You an' me Castor, we're gonna have ourselves a grand ol' time. We're gonna see the ocean, we're gonna explore forests, we're gonna do everything we couldn't do here. All we gotta do is look forwards." Castor clumsily crawled back onto Ven's back, who headed over to Holz to help him load up whilst Jestol looked on in dumbfounded shock. "Want me to go after them sir?" asked a guard. "Let them be, the less troublemakers the better."

=]o|o[=

The doors to the guild headquarters in Riveru had never been opened so loudly. Everyone in the building turned their heads towards the offending noise, only to gasp when the saw a well toned man and an eleven foot tall stygian zinogre stroll through the building. The man walked up to the desk, the zinogre following close behind, before asking "I'd like access to th' training ground please." The woman, clearly in shock from seeing such a dangerous beast so close to her, pulled out a sizable registry from under the table. "N-name?" The man cleared his throat. "Ven and hunting partner Castor."


End file.
